Background and career
Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ə-ZAY-lee-ə), is an Australian model, businesswoman and former rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at age 16 to pursue a career in music. She gained recognition on YouTube with the music videos for her 2011 songs "Pussy" and "Two Times", before self-releasing her debut mixtape Ignorant Art (2011) and signing with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records. Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked within the top five of several charts worldwide and later topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making her the first non-American female rapper to achieve the feat. The album's lead single, "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX), was a major commercial success, topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and earning a nomination for Record of the Year at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Azalea also featured on Ariana Grande's 2014 single "Problem", which peaked at number two behind "Fancy", making her only the second act after the Beatles to hold the top two positions on the chart simultaneously with debut entries. A further single from the album, "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora), also reached the top ten. Following her debut album, Azalea released several singles intended for a planned second album, Digital Distortion. However, ongoing conflicts with her record label, compounded by personal difficulties, led to the project's cancellation. She subsequently signed with Island Records, releasing her fourth extended play, Survive the Summer (2018). Further disputes with the label prompted Azalea to self-release her second studio album, In My Defense (2019), followed by the EP Wicked Lips (2019) and her third studio album, The End of an Era (2021). In 2024, Azalea announced her retirement from music via social media, as reported by Billboard. Azalea is one of the best-selling female rappers in the world.
Her accolades include two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a People's Choice Award and four Teen Choice Awards, as well as four Grammy Awards nominations. Her YouTube channel, together with collaborators, has accumulated over 7 billion views, and 15 of her music videos have surpassed 100 million views on Vevo.
Amethyst Amelia Kelly was born in Sydney and grew up in Mullumbimby. Her father, Brendan Kelly, was a painter and comic artist, while her mother, Tanya, cleaned holiday houses and hotels. Azalea lived in a house that her father built by hand from mud-bricks, surrounded by 5 hectares (12 acres) of land. She has two siblings named Mathias and Emerald Kelly. Azalea has also said that her father "made her look at [art] as a teenager", which has always influenced her life and work. She began rapping at age 14. Before embarking on a solo career, Azalea formed a group with two other girls from her neighborhood: "I was like, I could be the rapper. This could be like TLC. I'll be Left Eye." Azalea eventually decided to disband the group because the other girls were not taking it seriously: "I take everything I do serious [sic]. I'm too competitive." In pursuit of her desire to move to America, Azalea dropped out of high school. She worked and saved the money she earned by cleaning hotel rooms and holiday houses with her mother.
How Iggy Azalea makes money
Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ə-ZAY-lee-ə), is an Australian model, businesswoman and former rapper. However, ongoing conflicts with her record label, compounded by personal difficulties, led to the project's cancellation.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
